Immunotherapy is the burgeoning field of using a patient's own immune system to help fight cancer. A variety of immunotherapy strategies have been evaluated, including stimulating the patient's own immune system to attack cancer cells or administering immune system components from an external source. For example, monoclonal antibodies designed to attack cancer cells in vivo have been administered alone or in genetically engineered constructs. In addition, CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cell) therapy has been investigated. In this therapeutic approach, genetically engineered T cells express antibody-containing fusion proteins on their surface, which target the T cells to the cancer in question and allows for the T cells to kill the cancer cells. Because the CAR-T cells can become permanently engrafted in the patient's body, this approach seems particularly promising. These approaches, however, still require further refinement.
One of the key problems in monoclonal antibody therapy or CAR-T therapy is identifying or designing an antibody that will provide the maximum benefit to the patient in question, keeping in mind that the patient may have a very short window of time before the treatment can begin or before treatment success is required to prevent significant morbidity and mortality.
The present embodiments offer a solution to identifying antibodies that will provide the maximum benefit to the patient in question, minimizing the amount of time required for research investigation and allowing for treatment to begin as soon as possible.